As I was driving home two days ago, I was listening to ‘Canada Reads’ on CBC Radio. The person who was supporting the book, February, was discussing the personal journey of the main character as she was dealing with the loss of her husband who had been aboard the Ocean Ranger. He said that recovery is a process and I started to cry as waves moved through me. There I was, breathing and crying as I was driving on the 401.

I came home and looked up ‘recover’ and ‘recovery’. And each definition I found was about getting something back, bringing something back, finding or saving or regaining that which was lost.

I used to wonder why therapy or the courses I had taken or the books I had read or the journals I had written had not worked. I wondered why my life was not fixed and I was not all better. Like each thing I had done would magically make my life make sense.

Each time I would find myself feeling lost and angry and confused, I would blame myself for not ‘doing’ the cure correctly. Or I would blame the ‘cure’ because it wasn’t working. I never, ever thought of coming to know mySelf and feeling comfortable in my own skin and being true to the person I truly am as a process. I always saw it as – I was messed up and then, take the cure and I should be all better. A dichotomy – sad/happy, unwell/well, messed up/in order. And my inability to know mySelf in the world view I held of ‘all or nothing at all’ only fuelled my anger and confusion.

And in a moment, driving home two days ago, I knew that my entire journey to this point has been one of recovery – of finding mySelf and claiming mySelf. I know that I am never ‘done’. I am constantly finding more about mySelf and moving into the fullness of mySelf. I know that who I AM is constantly changing and morphing and transforming and becoming more. I know that who I AM today will not be who I WILL BE tomorrow. There is no finish line.

Life, living, being, choosing from a platform of being true to who we are meant to be is a process. And it is never done. That realisation has made such a difference.

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About Authentic Vibrations

My life is about learning and personal growth. I was an educator in the public secondary system for over 33 years. I now work with women, individually and in small groups, using words and music, art and language to help them explore their individaul sense of self in ways with are authentically meaningful for each of them. I also facilitate discussions with educators at all stages of their involvement in the teaching profession to help each of us explore the meaning, value and potential of learning and teaching. It is my belief that, in working individually and in collective, we have the power to transform and evolve. In the power of the collectives which we create together is the power to create culture. As a musician, I believe that the arts have the power to change lives.
Certification:
CODE Model™ Coach
WEL-Systems® Institute Affiliate
Education:
Ed. D (c) (Applied Psychology – Focus on Teaching) University of Toronto
M. Ed (Curriculum Development and Design) Queen’s University (1992)
B. Ed (Music, English, Elementary Education) University of Toronto (1976)
Mus. Bac. (Music Education) University of Toronto (1975)
RCM Grade 4 Harmony, Grade 4 History, Grade 9 Voice, Grade 10 Piano
Awards:
Life Membership, Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (2009)

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About Jean Winter

My life is about learning and personal growth. I am passionate about my continued evolution. I was an educator in the public secondary system for over 33 years. I now work with women, individually and in small groups, using words and music, art and language to help them explore their individual sense of self in ways which are authentically meaningful for each of them. I also facilitate discussions with educators at all stages of their involvement in the teaching profession to help each of them explore the meaning, value and potential of learning and teaching. It is my belief that, in working individually and in collective, women have the power to transform and evolve. In the power of the collectives which women create together is the power to create culture. As a musician, I believe that the arts have the power to change lives. I am looking to work with women who are hungry to discover the more that they know exists for them. I am particularly interested in working with women in all stages of their careers in education as teachers, leaders, and creators of culture. My intention is to engage with women as they move forward to claim their personal truths and choose to live lives that fully engage their immense spirits.
My life is about learning and personal growth. I was an educator in the public secondary system for over 33 years. I now work with women, individually and in small groups, using words and music, art and language to help them explore their individaul sense of self in ways with are authentically meaningful for each of them. I also facilitate discussions with educators at all stages of their involvement in the teaching profession to help each of us explore the meaning, value and potential of learning and teaching. It is my belief that, in working individually and in collective, we have the power to transform and evolve. In the power of the collectives which we create together is the power to create culture. As a musician, I believe that the arts have the power to change lives.
Certification:
CODE Model™ Coach
WEL-Systems® Institute Affiliate
Education:
Ed. D (c) (Applied Psychology – Focus on Teaching) University of Toronto
M. Ed (Curriculum Development and Design) Queen’s University (1992)
B. Ed (Music, English, Elementary Education) University of Toronto (1976)
Mus. Bac. (Music Education) University of Toronto (1975)
RCM Grade 4 Harmony, Grade 4 History, Grade 9 Voice, Grade 10 Piano
Awards:
Life Membership, Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (2009)